The lift door slid open. Yona stepped forward, Kaia trailing behind, her eyes scanning the eerie surroundings. The place was empty—just a dark room, no lights—but still, it felt... bright? How?
They moved through the corridor and entered a large space. At the center, a golden vortex-like thing swirled, covered in some sort of glass. Control panels, pipes, and tubes snaked out from it like a mechanical spider. The vortex pulsed with dim light, not enough to make things bright, but enough to see.
The thing was moving—slowly, barely noticeable, but it was moving. The air hummed.
"Whoa," Kaia whistled, eyeing the enormous swirl. "Did not expect this."
Yona shot her a grin, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "And what did you expect? A giant roller coaster?"
Kaia barely noticed. Her eyes were glued to the vortex.
"I didn't expect you two together." A voice interrupted, cool and amused.
Kaia and Yona turned. The President appeared, like he'd just stepped out of thin air.
Yona raised an eyebrow. "Where the hell did you come from?"
"Who's this?" Kaia asked, looking at Yona.
"Why don't you introduce yourself?" Yona smirked.
"Oh, you want me to be all... boastful?" The President chuckled, strolling toward them. "Nice to meet you, Kaia." He extended his hand, a formal smile plastered on his face. "I'm Sourav Nyxdith. President of Apostle."
Kaia shook his hand, grinning. "The President? I've been here a week and this is the first time I'm meeting you?"
The joke fell flat. The President didn't laugh, and neither did Yona. The silence was... awkward.
"Indeed," he muttered, strolling toward the vortex. "Great timing, though. I'm in a good mood today." He glanced over his shoulder, his smile turning cold. "For now."
"So you sent Ananya after me, huh?" Kaia asked, crossing her arms.
The President's smile disappeared faster than a shadow in the dark. He didn't turn around. "I wonder where you heard that. She's... the type to do things without anyone telling her. That's why the Information Unit worships her like a goddess." His voice dripped disdain. "Dogs, I'd call them."
Kaia opened her mouth to reply, but Yona's hand landed on her shoulder. She looked at her, and Yona shot her a silent 'no.'
Yona cleared her throat, her voice casual. "So, what's this about the Cosmic Hollow?"
"The Cosmic Hollow wants me to start another world conference," he muttered, clearly not thrilled. "Some useless chatter." He turned toward them, a slight sneer forming. "But if it insists, guess we have no choice but to comply."
Yona raised an eyebrow. "But it just happened this year."
"Doesn't matter. Cosmic Hollow says jump, we jump." He smirked, locking eyes with Kaia. "You remember the puppet incident, right? Those black puppets? The ones that weren't formed... but triggered?"
Kaia frowned. "Triggered how?"
The President gave her a sharp look. "You won't get it even if I tell you. It's black magic. Forbidden stuff. But my clairvoyance pointed to a location. I need you two to check it out since Kai is off doing whatever, and Chameleon's handling Halcyon portals, I guess."
Yona scowled. "Haven't heard from him in a while. Fine, we were already investigating it. No big deal."
"Good. I'll leave you to it." The President turned and glanced at Kaia. "Ask your questions to Cosmic Hollow. It's the only one who can answer them." He then left.
Kaia took a deep breath, feeling the weight on her chest lift just a little. "Why was he so pissed about Ananya?"
Yona's eyes gleamed with amusement. "You don't know?" She leaned in, clearly ready to spill the tea. "Do you know her full name?"
Kaia rubbed her head. "Uh... no?"
"Ananya Nyxdith." Yona dragged out the name for dramatic effect.
"Wait, what? Are they married or siblings?" Kaia blinked, trying to wrap her mind around it.
"Neither. The former President had the same name as Ananya. She adopted her and wanted Ananya to take over as President instead of her own son."
"And that son is Sourav, right?"
Yona's lips pressed into a thin line. "Yep."
"So Ananya's here because of nepotism?"
"What a strange way to put it." The vortex suddenly rumbled before Yona could speak, its voice echoing like it was coming from all directions. "Nepotism?" The voice chuckled bitterly. "That's rich. She's here because of herself. Her perseverance. People talk about her, but they have no idea what she's been through."
Kaia froze. "So this is... Cosmic Hollow?"
The vortex glowed, shifting with an almost angry rhythm. "I don't usually lose my patience. But—" it paused, the light pulsing like a heartbeat. "The human I respect most, the one who is far more compatible than any Nyxdith, is Ananya."
"Good thing he didn't say that in front of Sourav," Yona muttered, giving Kaia a sidelong glance.
Kaia stood there, thinking about Ananya. "I... I'm ashamed. I doubted the person who saved my life, the first one who believed I could be something more." She stared at the floor, guilt gnawing at her.
Yona's hand landed on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. "Forget about the past, Kaia. Focus on what's ahead. You got questions? Ask."
"Certainly, it wasn't such a huge thing to fret about." Cosmic Hollow replied supporting Yona's words. "Present your questions now, young girl."
Kaia looked up at the vortex, eyes narrowing. "What's inside you? I can feel it... someone's presence."
Yona's eyes widened. "A person?"